Oma (aka my Mennonite mother-in-law) is one of the most accomplished cooks I know, and her breads showed me what real homemade bread is supposed to be. Not too dense, not too light, cuts perfectly, rises wonderfully….amazing stuff. She makes bread every week and has all her life so I suppose she should know how by now! This is her recipe for white bread, here is her recipe for whole wheat bread.

(yields 4 large loaves)

(Note: The photos in this article follow the recipe with the addition of 1 extra T. of yeast, since I wasn't sure about how good the yeast was - you may find your bread comes out slightly smaller)

• 4 c. warm water
• 2 T. (rounded) instant yeast
• 1/2 c. liquid honey
• 1/2 c. canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 14 c. white flour (more or less)
  
• 3 t. salt

I like mixing the yeast with the honey and warm water first in a bowl to test if my yeast is still good. If it is, there will be some bubbles after a few minutes.

Mix the flour and salt together. Add the warm water mix, eggs and oil. Beat in a big mixer with the dough hook attachment or by hand. Knead until slightly transparent and soft, not sticky. If the dough is too hard and dry, add some more warm water. If too wet after at least 5 minutes of kneading, add a little more flour. You want to err on the wet side with white bread dough.

Allow to rise until doubled in a large bowl placed in a warm, non drafty place. A warm (less than 180 F) turned off oven is ideal (some newer ovens actually have bread rising settings).

Take it out and knead down. Make loaves and place into buttered loaf pans (I prefer stoneware for bread).  Allow to rise slightly over the edge.  The bread will rise a bit once it hits the oven's heat, so don't let it rise too much before baking.

Bake at 375 F until bottom is nicely browned (you can't go by the top color - there's nothing more heartbreaking in the bread world than beautiful bread with an uncooked middle!). Bread bakes best in a convection oven, I’ve been told - wish I could say I knew! Allow to cool in the loaf pan for 15 minutes, but don't leave it in the loaf pan as this will make it soggy.

Slice and enjoy!

Note: this recipe calls for instant yeast, but the directions say to have it rise twice. Instant yeast dough can theoretically be put into loaf pans right away without waiting for it to double and then kneading, but I like to do it this way. Regular yeast must be allowed to rise twice. If you're not sure which kind you have follow the directions above.

This recipe can also provide dough for other dishes. Pizza is a good choice,hot dog and sausage buns, cinnamon rolls, you name it. I like making a batch and split it into 2 loaves, 1 pizza (dinner!) and rolls or buns. See what you can make! Enjoy!